Waldheimhütte - Rothaidenhütte

Access to starting point:
We leave the highway Klagenfurt am Wörthersee - Graz at the exit Bad St. Leonhard im Lavanttal, and then we follow the signs for Zeltweg and Reichenfels. After the settlement Reichenfels we reach the state border between Austrian Carinthia / Kärnten and Steiermark, and a little further we arrive at the Obdacher Sattel pass, where we turn left towards the settlement St. Anna am Lavantegg. Next follows a steeper ascent to the mentioned settlement, from where we follow the signs for the Waldheimhütte mountain hut. In the last section we continue on a toll road; the toll is paid at the parking meter next to the Waldheimhütte mountain hut (the toll in 2025 was 3 euros for a passenger car).

Route description:
From the parking lot we walk past the hut to a marked junction, from which we head onto the path towards the summit Zirbitzkogel and Rothaidenhütte (slightly left, on the path that goes past the cross Türkenkreuz). The path ahead starts with a moderate ascent along a grassy slope surrounded by forest and, after a little less than 10 minutes of climbing, brings us to a junction where we turn right towards Rothaidenhütte (straight ahead is the normal route to Zirbitzkogel).
We continue along the cart track and very soon reach the next set of mountain signposts.
We continue straight ahead (the left path quickly rejoins the previously mentioned normal route to Zirbitzkogel) and follow a slightly narrower cart track that, for a longer stretch, traverses the slopes to the right; during this section we descend slightly a few times and then ascend again. Further on, the cart track gradually turns into a proper mountain path; we cross several successive streams, after which the ascent becomes steeper – first still through the forest, and in the final part along a grassy slope that leads us directly to Rothaidenhütte.
The description and photographs reflect conditions in October 2025.

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